Review: Dirty Boxing – Harper St George and Tara Wyatt (Blood and Glory #1)

Rating 4 Stars

What’s the book about?
When you’re up against the cage, love is the only thing worth fighting for.

Jules Darcy doesn’t do love. After an unstable childhood and a front row seat to the damage it does, she’d have to be crazy to sign up for inevitable heartbreak. But a year ago, her fling with MMA fighter Nick Giannakis quickly escalated into something more, scaring her and sending her running. She’d never planned to see the sexy middleweight again. And she’d definitely never planned to work with him. Seeing him again has her reminding herself that she doesn’t do love, even if she wants to do Nick.

Nick Giannakis is a lot of things. Champion. Fighter. Devoted son and brother. And apparently he’s also a sucker for Jules Darcy, the only woman who ever broke his heart, because one look at her and he wants her again, and he’s willing to play dirty to get what he wants. Because this time he’s playing for keeps.

My Review
I recently downloaded this ebook after hearing that it was FREE on Amazon and I’m so glad I did! I’ve been in the mood for sports romance stories for a while now, specifically something in the boxing/MMA/fighting industry. Dirty Boxing absolutely hit the spot.

The story begins quite light on the actual sports side of the story so that the reader can get to know the hero and heroine more in-depth and the intricacies of their previous relationship a year ago. I really enjoyed this because it set the story up and gave enough background to understand their reasons for why they are who they are now, and ensured we didn’t have to keep revisiting their past or rehashing the same drama.

I really enjoyed the contrast between the hero and heroine’s backgrounds. The hero was brought up in a loving home surrounded by lots of family; in comparison, the heroine grew up with parents continually at each others’ throat and this sparks the heroine’s mentality of avoiding relationships at all costs. Upon hearing this, the hero can respect her reasons for doing what she does even though he doesn’t understand them and does everything he can to make her see they’re perfect together.

While the romance in this is equally sweet and steamy, the other key point of this story is about the heroine reconnecting with her estranged father and making a name for herself within her career. Her upbringing and mentality towards relationships may not be the best but what they did give her was the foundation to really focus on being independent, hardworking and career-driven. She has worked hard to get to where she is and I always love that in a heroine! She takes on a role within her father’s fighting company and has to continually prove her ability and knowledge, successfully meeting every challenge thrown her way. During this time, she develops her own voice and builds a relationship with her father.

This story really had it all: a delicious romance, great cast of characters, an amazing balance of sports and plot development, and great writing. I loved Dirty Boxing and can’t wait to continue with the rest of the series. St George and Wyatt are a fantastic writing duo and delivered a story that’s sure to pack a punch!